Shindou and Touya's 19th Golden Week
by IDespiseTragedy
Summary: In a vacation, Shindou told Touya about Sai. Later, they started to call each other by their respective given names and had their first bedding session.


Title: **Shindou & Touya's Nineteenth Golden Week**

Warning: sappy smut scenes of reversible Akira x Hikaru yaoi pairing

Disclaimer: _Hikaru no Go_ belongs to Yumi Hotta & Takeshi Obatta

Author's Note: I'd be glad to accept correction for any mistake—be it spelling, punctuation, grammar or misinformation.

* * *

**CHAPTER I**

**The Aftermath of a Nightmare**

The black and white stones formed constellations on the go board, silent beneath Touya Akira's pensive stare. This was the replay of his seventh Honinbou match with Shindou Hikaru, to whom he had lost four moku, and thus allowing his rival to hold the title of their contention. He moved the black stone on 16-5 three grids above. If, _if_ he had placed it there during the match, there could have been a chance he'd make a comeback.

Touya extended his arm to reach the jouseki that lay atop the previous month's issue of the Go Magazine, of which front cover headline blared: "The Youngest Meijin in History" over his colored photograph. He was flipping the jouseki pages in search for a certain section bearing Shuusaku's kosumi when the phone rang. No one else was at home, so he rose from his seat, scurried his way across the tatami, and slid his bedroom door open.

Picking up the phone, he said, "Hello, Touya's residence."

"Waya Yoshitaka's speaking," a trembling voice replied, "Shindou got hit by a truck about half an hour ago. He had passed away before the ambulance arrived. His last, unfinished words were 'I still haven't reached Hand of God with Touya … why now—'."

First, emptiness came sweeping into Touya's mind. Waya's voice, the corridor he was standing, and everything in the universe dispersed into void. Then, an invisible knife pierced through his heart, and the pain spread throughout his body in a deluging torrent of grief.

Touya woke up with tears streaming down his cheeks. Undoubtedly, after such a nightmare, calling his boyfriend's cell phone became the first thing he did that morning.

"Touya, this isn't even 6:30 yet; what's so urgent?" Shindou grumbled over the line.

There was an impregnable pause before Touya's apologetic answer filled Shindou's ears. "Sorry. I was thinking if we could get a short vacation together this upcoming Golden Week."

Golden Week. It had been in the Golden Week that Sai disappeared four years before. On the fifth of May. On Tango no Sekku or Boys' Day. On Torajirou's birthday. As the koi-nobori fish flags fluttered in the wind, Sai's spirit vanished. Just like that.

Upon perceiving his boyfriend's silence, Touya continued, "It's okay if you don't want to."

"No, that's a great idea," he replied, though not without a croak. "You've got a place in mind?"

"Not yet. What about you?" Relief washed over Touya's response.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. How do Innoshima and Kyoto sound to you, Touya?"

"Innoshima? The one in Hiroshima Prefecture?"

"Yup!"

Even as Touya delivered his answer of "I've never been there," Shindou could sense the question Touya was restraining himself to ask: _'Kyoto is indeed popular for tourism, but why Innoshima?'_ Perhaps it struck his mind that Shindou had gone there four years before, because when he spoke, his words sounded almost as polite as when he talked to his shidou-go client. "I'd love to visit it with you, and, yeah, Kyoto too."

Shindou offered, "So, the day after tomorrow, 10 'o' clock at the station?"

"Sounds good."

"OK, I'll book the accommodation later on today, but for now, just let me get back to sleep. See y—"

"Wait!" Touya hastily interrupted, "One more thing…," he took a sharp intake of breath, "… I love you."

The young Meijin heard a gulp preceding his speaking adversary's panicky reply, "Touya, you're not moving abroad or something, are you?"

Touya blinked. "No. What makes you think so?"

"Well, you're not the type who declares your feelings for no reason." Insecurity was all over Shindou's voice as he said these words.

"Don't worry." Touya replied, his tone soothing and reassuring. "It's just some nightmare I had … it made me think I don't want one of us die before we spend time together in the best possible way."

"Oh." Shindou sounded relieved.

* * *

**CHAPTER II**

**Memory**

Two days later, Shindou arrived at the station at 9:51, only to find that Touya had been waiting for him despite their appointed time.

Touya's arm was reaching for astation lunchbox tuna set when another buyer's arm was aiming for the same _ekiben_. Seeing the other customer's superior age and the copious availability of the same variant of this lunchbox, Touya let him have it first.

"Thank you," the middle-aged man remarked. Then he gasped slightly. "Touya … Touya Meijin! Sensei, I am a fan of yours! May I have your autograph, please?"

Turning around from the cashier, Shindou asked, "Touya, are you done yet?"

Touya opened his mouth, but the middle-aged man's overenthusiastic voice drowned his reply. "Shindou Honinbou, what a pleasant surprise! Never thought I'd see the youngest Meijin and the youngest Honinbou in history traveling together like this; after all, the both of you are known as the greatest rivals in the go world."

Touya gave him a courteous smile, but grinned widely in the inside. At the mention of his rivalry with Shindou, a tingling sensation coursed through his nerves. It was good to be alive.

After playing with magnetic go board on the bullet train for quite a while, Touya drooped down to sleep. Shindou gazed lovingly at his sleeping boyfriend and smiled. Fighting the urge to stroke Touya's silky hair in public, Shindou recalled the memory of how they confessed to each other.

How could Shindou not remember? It would have been one of the worst times in his life—_almost_—had Touya not dropped a taste of heaven at the end of the day.

###

Shindou was supposed to have his fifth, life-and-death Jyudan match with Ogata at ten o' clock that day; of the four preceding matches, they pocketed two victories each. On his way to the Go Institute that morning, the young Honinbou took the bullet train. Among the crowd, a woman in her early twenties screamed about sexual harassment. Being the nearest person standing to her, plus no belonging in his either hand, the blond-banged young man became the main suspect.

While he was denying his accusation against other passengers' animosity, one of the bystanders pointed, "Isn't that the pro go player Shindou Honinbou?"

Others whispered, "The youngest Honinbou in history? What a waste of talent he had considering his decadence! He is so unlike Touya Meijin, although they are at the same age and claim their titles in the same year."

On and on they went until the mention of "He's not worthy of Honinbou!" pricked Shindou so badly that he blurted, "Will you cut that out? I'm not even interested in women!"

Some of the passengers now murmured, "Did you hear that: the current Honinbou is gay?" Others just assumed he had lied to save him from the groping charge. Fortunately, in the end, due to lack of proof, Shindou was freed from the blame.

Just when he reached his pocket, he noticed the absence of his wallet and fan. Did the thief take advantage from the sexual harassment commotion back then? With no ticket at hand, he had no choice but to explain his pickpocket case to the station warden, which he finally able to speak to after at least twenty minutes' queue.

When at last Shindou could get out from the station, he was two minutes late for his match, while the distance between the station and the go institute required fourteen minutes walk. He couldn't afford a taxi without his wallet; running was his only option.

Thus, ignoring the splash from a water puddle made by a passing car, Shindou kept running until he sprained his ankle, and had to drag himself in pain to the institution. By the time he reached _Yuugen_—the Room of Profound Darkness—where the match was held, he was twenty-six minutes late.

"I'm very sorry for being late" was all he said. The sweat drops on his face as well as the wet stains on his suit and trousers prevented anyone from asking the reason of his tardiness. He kept staring at the _tatami_ floor as he made his way to his seat, trying his best to conceal the otherwise agonized expression from his face. Every step he took was torture, still this was nothing compared to the moment he had to sit on his sprained ankle _seiza_ style during the match for hours to come.

"I started to think you were too afraid to come today," Ogata remarked jokingly.

"I'm sorry for my late arrival," answered the lower dan player, swallowing the pain that spread across his partially torn ligament.

Puzzled though the Jyudan defender by his challenger's sudden politeness, Ogata cared more about their last match than Shindou's wellbeing. Adjusting his spectacles, he asked, "Shall we begin?"

Shindou never let his gaze off of the go board, but his mind was somewhere else.

'_I'm friggin' late for a title match.' _Pachi.

'_This pain is excruciating.'_ Pachi.

'_The fan, the only concrete material I have to memorize Sai, is gone.'_ Pachi.

'_It hurts.'_ Pachi.

'_No money, ID card, and bank card either. No. I have to respond to this 5-6.'_ Pachi.

'_OUCH!'_ Pachi.

After fifteen moves or so, Shindou's fate was sealed; his defeat was no longer inevitable. He had played his worst game since entering the pro world. In the post-game discussion that followed, Shindou still did not take his gaze from the go board, as though counting the ripples of its wooden texture, and spoke only while being asked with answer as little as possible. Displeased by the youth's attitude, soon the spectators chose to focus their comments on congratulating Ogata instead.

However, out of concern, Amano the reporter asked, "Shindou-kun, you look pale. Are you all right?"

Predictably, Shindou stated an insincere "Yes."

The defeated challenger still did not budge when everybody else was leaving, at the completion of the post-game discussion. When the match recorder asked why, he merely answered her, "I still want to stay here." No more was spoken, for everyone presumed Shindou just needed time to be alone after such terrible defeat—everyone _except _for Touya Akira.

"What's the matter with you?" Touya's voice was benevolent and compassionate, but it rang like a thunderclap to Shindou's ears; he had not paid attention to Touya's arrival in the post-game discussion.

Shindou's pupils dilated._ 'Great! As if what happened from the morning train to my game lost had not been bad enough; now I have to suffer humiliation in front of _him_, of all people!' _

"Leave me alone, Touya!"

"You cannot drive me off from public place." Touya took the liberty to sit vis-à-vis his eternal rival.

The usual Shindou would have retorted, "You don't even have a match here today! This place is off-limit!" The Shindou today, however, answered, "Just give me some privacy, okay!"

"Not until you tell me what's wrong!" Touya replied, his eyes blazing with anger. Shindou wasn't supposed to be this subservient; he had never been, nor should he be.

"Nothing's wrong. You can't win forever in go," a lifeless answer came out of Shindou's mouth.

"How can you say nothing's wrong when you played this poorly? You were obviously distracted!"

"I don't want to talk about it. Will you leave me in peace?"

"Why can't you be honest with me? Am I such untrustworthy person to you?" This time, Touya's voice sounded pleading instead of furious.

No matter what Touya said the next minutes, silence remained Shindou's answer. The young Honinbou would not even look at him, but fixed his gaze at the _shoji_ instead. The Meijin title holder gave up in the end and stormed out of the room, livid.

Only after he had heard the sound of lift's ding and then moving down did Shindou dare to rise from his seat, whimpering—his ankle had become swollen. The sprain proved to be more serious than he had assumed it could. _'There's no way I'd show Touya this pained expression._ _There's no single sound outside; I bet everyone has left.'_

Dragging his injured ankle, Shindou went out of the Yuugen Room. "Aw, man! Why does _everything_ have to be so wrong today?!" he quetched, not aloud, yet audible enough to the person standing before the lift door. The young Honinbou's heart thumped loudly. _'Crap!_ _Here comes Touya's favorite strategy: ambush.'_

The last person Shindou wanted to hear his pathetic complaint did not waste any opportunity to start interrogating him. "What happened to your leg?"

'_No point hiding now that Touya's seen it. No chance to run either in this condition.' _"Sprained ankle," Shindou answered reluctantly.

"So that's one of the things that disturbed you during the match, especially since Yuugen is set for seiza seating! You should have asked for a room rearrangement, at least!" He shook his head. "And what else?"

"What else what?"

"The other things that distracted you, Shindou! Tell me now or I'll nag you all the way home!"

"Mind your own business!" Shindou barked. Yet, even his defiance could not fully conceal his admiration for Touya's ability in detecting what the others had failed to notice.

"Not today!" Touya's tone rose, his eyes blazing with fury once again.

"This has nothing to do with go! You only concern is my go, don't butt in my life!" The moment he said this, Shindou realized he had overstepped a certain boundary.

"Don't you dare say your go is the only thing I care about you!" Touya snapped. Without giving Shindou any chance to retort, he grabbed his rival by both wrists and pushed his lips onto Shindou's.

'_How could Touya force a kiss on me when it hurts me enough just to stand up! Wait, kiss … KISS?! This is _my first kiss_, what the…' _Shindou couldn't move a muscle; even breath was chocked in his own throat.

The next minute, both were panting. While shock drained color from Shindou, embarrassment flushed redness all over Touya.

"You…," Touya managed to speak at last, "… mean much more than a rival to me."

Shindou wanted to say many things—objection, swearing, disbelief, _anything_—but what slipped from his mouth was a low murmur of "Since when?" instead.

"Years. I don't know the precise time. You've always preoccupied my mind whether I like it or not. Don't ask me how or why … all I know is that I don't think of only strategies to play go against you but also how to keep you happy, how to ask you out for things which aren't necessarily related to igo, how to make you turn to me as more than a rival, and so on." Touya gulped. "Sorry for forcing that kiss. It was very selfish of me, but I couldn't help it. I don't even know whether or not you mind going out with a guy."

"Actually, this morning I kinda made a public announcement that I had no interest in women." Shindou had no idea how a single kiss could kiss away all his self-restraint. Somehow, he just felt like confessing to Touya what befell him that day.

At the end of Shindou's story, Touya commented, "I can't believe you were about to go home, limping, with no money for transport!"

"No, I was going to borrow some money from one of my friends; the insei are having their matches on the second floor right now."

"So any of your insei friends could share the pain, but I'm not allowed to?" Touya spoke softly, yet his timber was overcome with sadness, losing the frail hope that Shindou would love him back.

"Well, what if you looked down on me? You might think I'm an unworthy rival for crying out loud over such trivialities," Shindou slower his words, "And I don't want that. I don't want to lose you, Touya. You're the most important thing in my life." Shindou blushed as he said his last sentence.

Touya stared at Shindou that instant. His eyes demanded a further explanation.

Shindou inhaled deeply. "I feel the same about you. You know, more than a go rival. But all these times I was afraid that you'd be appalled, that you would then stop chasing me."

Touya's face suddenly brightened, just as a happy child at Christmas.

"Let me take you home!" he stationed one of Shindou's arms over his shoulder and supported him to walk.

After just one step, Shindou said, "Thanks, Touya. I owe you one."

"Let's say we're even. Just accept my apology; I really shouldn't have kissed you by force."

"Nah!" Shindou grinned, "I'd rather have another kiss, a proper kiss, to amend my disastrous first kiss." Shindou was surprised at his own boldness in blurting these out of the blue, but Touya wasted no chance.

"Like this?" Touya drew his face closer to Shindou again. This time Shindou reacted; he parted his lips to welcome Touya. The kiss itself was unsophisticated, for neither had ever practiced before. Yet, both were in cloud nine, too oblivious to think about anything but bliss.

###

Shindou jerked his head as he saw the Kyoto signboard on the station platform from the train window. "Touya, wake up!"

**CHAPTER III**

**Sepulchral Storytelling**

Shindou dragged Touya to tour all historic Heian period places they could find in Kyoto. Touya had indeed noticed some classical Japanese literature books intermingled with manga and go magazines on Shindou's bookshelf, back in the house, but he never thought his boyfriend would be _this_ obsessed with Heian-related subjects. Every now and then, Touya found sad yearning in Shindou's eyes, especially when they visited the site where the Heian court would have abided a millennium ago. Yet, Shindou wouldn't tell him what went wrong.

As much as they would like to get more intimate to each other, they always left early in the morning and returned to the hotel late in the evening for three days in a row. Seeing that Shindou made no effort to seduce or be seduced, Touya repressed a sigh. '_Maybe he isn't ready. Vacation is not all about physical intimacy; it could be just spending time together… Well, at least we have a good time and very little arguments.'_

On the fourth day of their vacation, May 5, Shindou and Touya left for Innoshima. They traveled with a bullet train from Kyoto to Onomichi station, and then caught a bus to Innoshima. They saw seagulls flying on the crystal clear sky from their bus window as they crossed the bridge which connected the ancillary island from the main one. For Touya, the day seemed perfectly fine; for Shindou, every second felt like hour. Still, Shindou affirmed that he was all right when Touya mentioned how restless he was.

After putting their luggage in their booked _ryoukan_—Japanese traditional inn—Shindou asked his travel mate, "Are you tired?"

When Touya shook his head Shindou said again, "Come, there are things I want to show you."

Shindou brought Touya to a cemetery. The two young men passed several tombstones until Shindou halted at a particular grave marker bearing Shuusaku's name.

Shindou closed his eyes and inhaled deeply._ 'Sai, Torajirou, please lend me your strength.'_ After feeling the gentle spring breeze swept over his hair, he opened his eyes again and broke his prolonged silence, "Touya, will you listen to a ghost story?"

Although Touya had no particular interest for supernatural beings, he did not fail to notice Shindou's repressed urgency. Hence, he nodded.

"One rainy day, twelve-year-old boy and girl found an old igo board in an attic. The boy saw bloodstains on the board, but the girl didn't. Then, there was a voice asking whether the boy could hear him. That voice belonged to a ghost in Heian court attire. His long dark hair streamed like river flow. His amethyst orbs gazed unfathomably like deep purple abyss. The fan in his hand concealed his mystique smile."

Shindou's jaw clenched and unclenched before he continued, "The ghost had taught the boy how to play go from scratch henceforth. He was only visible and audible to his host alone. He told the boy where to place the go stones on the board and triumphed over all opponents with absolute victories. Nobody knew about the ghost's existence; people simply assumed the boy was gifted in go. The ghost, after all, had done the same method before, on another boy named Torajirou in the Edo period. The ghost had even earned Torajirou fame far and wide under the name of Honinbou Shuusaku."

Touya's mouth was agape at the mention of the name, but he let Shindou carry on without interruption.

"The ghost had initially been a Heian emperor's go instructor. He had been cheated during a game, but accused of cheating instead and banished from the court. He hadn't been able to live on after such dishonor and drowned himself."

Stones of guilt settled within Shindou's guts. The furrow on Touya's eyebrows told Shindou his sympathy for the misfortune that befell such a talented igo player.

"And yet, there were times when the ghost's current host grew selfish and wanted to play his own games. Worst of all, this boy sabotaged a game with an important opponent who had gone through such length just to an opportunity to re-challenge the ghost. The game ended in catastrophe; the opponent's expectation was betrayed."

No longer was Shindou able to look at Touya in the eye. Each word felt heavier in his ponderous heart.

"The boy wanted to repent for his mistakes and become a worthy opponent for the one he had disappointed. He couldn't afford the ghost to play with any other player face-to-face again, however, so he played net go. The ghost's capability was soon recognized globally, leaving the boy no choice but to quit net go, though not igo in general.

Step by step, the boy walked down the path of go by becoming an insei first and then pro. Just then, three springs since the boy met the ghost, the ghost disappeared. Therefore, the boy stopped playing go, in hope that the ghost might return if he let the ghost play as he used to. After months of waiting, the ghost did not return still.

It was one of the boy's friends made him realize that the ghost did not vanish completely. Instead, he lived within the boy's go. Thus, the boy resumed his go path, pursuing his life-long rival." Shindou ended his story with balled fists.

Touya gazed at the sadness in the eyes of the only one he regarded his eternal rival. Tenderly he spoke, "This story is about you, isn't it?"

Shindou nodded. He did his best to hold back the bulky tears at the brink of his emerald eyes from gushing.

"… and Sai?" Touya added, though with a considerable degree of hesitancy.

Shindou shuddered at the very mention of Sai's name, no longer forbear weeping this time. "Do you believe me?"

Touya took a deep breath before answering, "Well … it did sound like a tall story at first, but then some facts do fit. The first two games I played you in my father's salon were enough to display Shuusaku's brilliant moves despite how awkward you held the stones. Besides, you've got … er … mysterious aura of an experienced player back then.

You held the stones correctly enough when we played in our Junior High tournament, but your go skill was still at beginner's level. Sai's name disappeared from world igo net after I told you everybody was curious about Sai's identity. You finally became a pro with your own strength and were desperate when Sai left—that's why you ditched your matches for months.

You were extremely pissed off when Ko Yongha insulted Shuusaku in our first Hokuto Cup—though you won 7 moku against him the following year—because the ghost who resided in Shuusaku changed your life. The ghost, whose talent people recognize to be Shuusaku's, introduced you to the wonders of go. And thanks to him, my life has no longer been dull since I met you."

"Urgghhhh, Akira…!" for the first time Shindou Honinbou called Touya Meijin by his given name. Grabbing Touya's shirt, he leaned his head over the crook of Touya's neck and wailed there.

Surprised as Touya was with so many things jamming in his mind, he managed to reach for the tearful youth and gently patted his hair.

"I … I was afraid you were g-going to … leave m-me … thinking I'm a … liar or lunatic…!" Shindou stuttered between his sobs.

"Hikaru," Touya called, his voice overflowing with affection, 'I trust you, love you and admire you too much to think so lowly of you."

Go had been Shindou's heart and soul. Touya Akira, the man standing before him was his reason for seriously playing go. This was his most intriguing opponent. The one who understood him better than any other creature alive. His best friend. His perpetual rival. His sole lover. His _raison d'être_.

After a while, Shindou broke his cry and faced his boyfriend. "Fujiwara no Sai," he said, "That's his full name."

"Fujiwara no Sai," his speaking adversary replied, gazing solemnly at the gravestone, "Thank you for helping Hikaru into the person he is today; I _will_ treasure him all my life."

* * *

**CHAPTER IV**

**On Kissing**

Touya and Shindou looked at each other straight in the eyes. Their difference in height was less than half an inch, to begin with. Shindou's hands were on Touya's back, clutching his rival's shoulders from underneath his arms. Touya placed one hand on his lover's nape and the other hand on the small of his back. Both drew themselves closer and kissed.

Touya's lips touched Shindou's lightly but certainly, profuse with all the care that Shindou needed.

"I've never thought our 111th kiss would be this … wet!" Shindou smiled at Touya. The traces of tears were still on his face.

"You actually _counted_ them?" Touya nearly shouted in disbelief.

"Not that I can help it," answered the blushing Shindou in an undertone, "I thought about go pretty much every day. The game of go requires an opponent. Who else is the most fascinating opponent I've ever had? You know … all these sorta linked together."

"Just because you think of me doesn't mean you have to think about kisses, as well!' Touya snapped. "Anyway, it's harder to believe you about this matter than about Sai's."

"Hey, I'm seriously being honest here!" Shindou protested.

"Prove it!" Touya challenged with half-hearted vexation. His true concern was captivated by how Shindou's hair glinted in the sun.

"I can describe each kiss in decent detail. Name the number!"

"Oh really, what happened to kiss #99 then?" Touya dared his boyfriend. Since it was supposed to be quite recent, Touya was sure he could recognize mistakes in Shindou's description, should there be any.

Shindou gave a few second pause before answering, "It was the last snow of winter. We were in your father's salon that evening. You've got a new hairstyle because I made fun of your old one two days before. I couldn't fully concentrate on the game, so you asked what was wrong. Luckily, other players were seated rather far from us, so I confessed in low voice that your new appearance made me fall in love with you again, but it made me feel as if I had been cheating you over some new guy. You sighed and said you needed to show me an old _kifu_ concerning my _keima_. I followed you to the little storage room at the furthermost back of the salon.

As soon as we were inside, alone, you pinned me to the bookshelf and kissed me passionately. You parted my mouth with sudden movement and you would not cease before I kissed you back. You did not only chew my lower lip, but also invaded the cave of my mouth mercilessly with your tongue. You were so intoxicatingly aggressive, like there would have been no tomorrow. My head was spinning; you didn't give me enough time to breathe! Yes … it was one of the most voracious and fiercest kisses that we've shared so far!"

As Shindou recalled the happy memory, a shade of crimson imbued on Touya's cheeks. That remembrance was indeed flawless. "I suspect kisses aren't the only thing you count."

"You're damn right on that!" Shindou smiled proudly "For instance, I know that it's been 9 months 16 days 3 hours…," he looked at the clock on his cell phone, "… 47 minutes and 5 seconds since we officially became couple!"

For a fleeting moment, Touya did consider to ask, "Did you count it since my forced kiss, my explanation, your reply, or the kiss that you asked me to perform?" but his pride prevailed over his curiosity. "Hmp, such detail we've got here, considering you didn't even look at your cell phone or my watch back then!"

"There was a clock hanging on the wall."

In a rather exasperated tone, Touya replied "F.Y.I., I'd be _really_ annoyed if you decide to look at the time every time we kiss, so don't you dare to time them! Besides, you should use your brain capacity more effectively on kifu instead of kisses!"

"You're the one to talk!" the Honinbou chided, "If you used yours properly, Kurata would have lost his Ooza title!"

"The same to you regarding Ogata-san's Jyudan title!" countered the Meijin.

"Oh yeah? What about Serizawa's NEC Shun-Ei Cup!"

"Not as bad as your defeat from Ichiryuu Kisei!"

"Are you telling me Serizawa has the same level as that baldy Ichiryuu?!"

But at that moment, Shindou managed to remind himself of his current situation. He turned to Shuusaku's tombstone and prayed, "I'm sorry, Torajirou. Four years ago, I promised myself to bring Sai here when he returned … but instead I bring back a brat for shouting contest in the middle of a cemetery."

Touya also prayed alongside Shindou "It's my fault. I started our quarrel. It was very rude of me, Torajirou-san. I do apologize.

Then the couple left the cemetery in peace, hand-in-hand.

* * *

**CHAPTER V**

**Pre-bedding**

After visiting Shuusaku Memorial Museum, buying souvenirs, having dinner and playing several games of speed go, the two of them wanted a relaxing bath in the _onsen_. The actual bath, however, turned out to be as tense as a title match; the sight of each other's naked state could only craze them badly.

'_Why does his skin have to be so smooth?'_ "So this is the shampoo you normally use, Akira?"

'_Why are his shapes and sizes so tantalizing?' "_Yes, my parents have been using it before I was even born and I've never tried any other brand."

'_Why do his curves have to be so seductive?' _"Why? Aren't you curious there may be better products?"

'_Why is his body_ _this inviting?'_ "I don't bother experimenting since I've never got any problem with it; it isn't igo after all. Do you find the scent repulsive, Hikaru?"

'_He's a living work of art.' _"No. I love it. Smells like mint."

'_He's a living work of art.' _"It does have mint flavor."

In the end, they stationed themselves on different edges of the pool with at least three meters distance. Both realized they might not be able to restrain themselves from touching each other in public otherwise.

They barely spoke to each other until they returned to their bedroom and finished arranging their _futon_ mattresses next to each other.

"Akira, according to some yaoi manga, anal copulation is supposed to hurt, but some lubricant can help. So, have you got any?"

"No, sorry. It's too risky to enter an adult shop."

"I don't blame you. We can't afford people pointing 'Look, Meijin's buying lube!'... Hang on, I think I know the solution: I'll move into a small apartment. Well, preferably the one with a ramen shop nearby. I can buy lubes or anything else for us via mail order then."

"Shindou Hikaru, don't tell me you're moving for lubricant's sake!"

"Nah! That's not the only reason. Mom has been nagging me about getting a girlfriend for the last three years. Lately, she even went as far trying to set dates for me and my childhood friend, Akari; our mothers are close friends. She kept saying how harmonious our names in meaning were that it must be God's will to unite us in marriage … blah … blah … blah … (_akari = light, beam; hikaru = to shine, to lit_)! Can't I have a friend who's a girl without necessarily being my girlfriend?! She also persistently asked what type of girl that I like, using female celebrities on TV as examples … which, I bet, is for _miai_ purpose. Why should arranged matchmaking exist in the first place? Jeez!" muttered Shindou.

Touya looked at his boyfriend apprehensively. Occasionally, after dinner, his mother also questioned him on the very same subject: girlfriend.

"Wanna move in with me?" Shindou suggested.

Touya did not answer immediately. He trailed his fingers on his beloved's sideline first before saying "No … not now, at least. I may consider moving close to you one day, though. You know how often we argue; it's better if we have our own sanctuaries to come and go as we please. Furthermore, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder, youngest Honinbou in history."

"Yeah, you're right." Shindou snaked his hand on Touya's silky hair.

"By the way, who's the friend that made you realize Sai lived within your go? Waya-kun?"

"Nope. It's Isumi-san." Shindou grinned. "Are you jealous?"

"Can't pretend that I'm not." Touya admitted matter-of-factly. '_He achieved something I didn't; why did you let him but not me?'_

Smirking, Shindou rolled and pecked his lover's forehead. "But you're the first person I wanted to know that I returned to go world; I came rushing to the institute that evening, remember?"

Touya still pouted.

Shindou straightened his face at once, "Look, I'm very grateful to Isumi-san, but the best he can be is my brother. Not much different from how Ashiwara-san means to you, I guess. As for Waya, he's nice to hang around with, but no one entices me like you do. Can you imagine how many times I think about you in the presence of others in contrast to how many times I think about others in your presence? You always get a special place in my heart. Always."

"But you hadn't even realized your feelings toward me before I forced that first kiss on you after your fifth Jyuudan match!"

"Of course I had! Three years ago, on one of the rare occasions when we left your dad's go salon without a fight, Ichikawa-san jokingly told us to have a nice date. Then it clicked. I couldn't get you out of my mind since we were twelve, to start with. I never had any interest in finding someone to love; well, at first I thought that was because I don't need anything of that sort as long as I could play go … but then I figure out that I wanted to play go so badly because I want to face you … to be with you … and that I didn't need to find someone to love because I had already found you! I just hadn't had the courage to tell you what I felt before you confessed to me." Shindou's volume grew smaller as he pronounced every word. In fact, the end of his answer was barely above a whisper. His cheeks even gave out tints of pink.

Nevertheless, after giving Shindou chance to breathe, Touya inquired further, "And Sai? What is he to you, apart from a mentor and a teacher?" His tone was not demanding, but patient. He had braced himself for whatever outcome that might turn out, perfectly knowing this was an ineffable subject which would make his lover wince. And Shindou really did.

"Sai … is very important to me. I suppose you could say he's my closest friend, to certain extent. But I've never lusted for Sai's body—not that he had a physically tangible body, anyway; he had already been a full-grown man when I was a boy and he perennially will. I can't exactly claim that to me he's like your father to you … but then there's the tutoring thing. Uh! I don't know!"

"A guardian spirit?" Touya suggested.

"That's the term I'm looking for," Shindou replied with much more certainty than his previous answer.

"If he were alive with his own physical body, would you still choose me over him?" Touya's voice was compact with hesitancy and sadness. He did not want to nag Shindou, but the prospect of Shindou's other lover pained his heart more than he intended to be.

Shindou looked _very_concerned now. "I can't prove what doesn't happen. All I know is that I've never seen him from a romantic angle—not until you brought up the subject tonight."

"Maybe," Shindou continued, "if he were alive as a real person, I'd drag him here and there, take him to play go against loads and loads of opponents—especially Ogata-san, your dad and Kurata-san; I'll let him hang around with my friends … but I wouldn't fancy a date with him, if that's what you're thinking!"

Touya chuckled. "He would have been a phenomenon in the go world, for sure."

"Yeah," Shindou replied, "and if he became a pro, anyone would be having hard times claiming or defending any title!"

"But he _isn't_," Touya pulled them both back to reality, "I no longer chase his shadow; I chase _you_instead."

"Yeah," Shindou gave him the best smile he'd ever seen, "I'm glad you do."

* * *

**CHAPTER VI**

**Meijin's Attack**

On hearing Shindou's words, Touya leaped from his futon to face his boyfriend. He approached the seated Shindou while kneeling. They pressed their fervent lips against each other. Their hands busied themselves with stripping each partner's _yukata_. Having kept in mind that they had come to do this, they did not bother with underwear when they left the onsen.

As soon as both draperies were laid on the tatami floor, the two lovers drew their lips together, engaging their tongues in a wrestling contest.

Touya moved closer, adjusting himself between Shindou's inner thighs. During this temporary break from their prolonged kiss, Shindou let out a small gasp. A rather worried look lingered in his eyes. When Touya opened his mouth to calm his beloved, however, Shindou spoke first, "I want you, Akira. I don't care if it hurts." There was neither hesitation nor reluctance in his voice. With these words, he wrapped his arms around Touya's neck.

Touya whispered "Hikaru, I've dreamed of this for years." to Shindou's right ear before nibbling its lobe. He then explored Shindou's jawline, chin, neck and collarbone with his trail of kisses, making his boyfriend gasp every now and then despite Shindou's effort to keep his volume as low and as imperceptible as possible.

Shindou's reaction when Touya teased him on the nipples was unforgettable. It was a mixture of mortification and ecstasy, of torment and rapture, of fantasy and reality. He uttered "Noooo!", but by the sound of it, Touya decided to decipher it as "Moreeee!"

After kissing Shindou's navel, Touya tilted Shindou's legs, resting them over his shoulders. He then kissed the tip of his lover's erect member and let his tongue perform a dance on the engorged shaft, in accordance with Shindou's melodious moans.

Breathing laboriously, Shindou looked above and saw his own trunk slanting and culminating with his boyfriend's head sucking to and fro. Some of Touya's saliva trickled down Shindou's stomach. Again, a part of Shindou's conscience was ashamed of this position, yet the rest of him couldn't help basking in this enthralling moment.

Apparently the sensation of fellatio was unbearable for a first-timer like Shindou. A couple of minutes—that was all he needed before screaming, "Get away from there, Akira; I'm—ah!"

But Touya did not shift his head. Instead, he sucked and swallowed Shindou's emission.

"So-sorry," quickly Shindou apologized.

"So this is how it tastes." Touya licked his lips.

"How does it … taste?" Shindou asked curiously.

Touya glanced at him, and then, wearing a sensuous smirk, he answered "Won't tell ya." He licked Shindou's shaft clean once again, only making his partner shiver.

Touya now removed his mouth from Shindou's erection and concentrated on the butt. Stretching the cheeks of Shindou's bums with both hands, Touya delved his tongue into his boyfriend's aperture. He spelunked Shindou's cave as far as his tongue could extend, adding some zigzag and circular motions every now and then and letting a generous amount of saliva dribble in due course.

"Akiraaa…" Shindou emitted a sound which he himself was unsure whether that was a discouragement or an encouragement.

Touya sent one of his fingers to explore Shindou's interior, causing his lover to quiver at the foreign sensation. He delegated his second finger to add the exhilaration only a few moments after. He could tell how much Shindou took delight in his scissoring movements, and even more as he did his pedaling ones.

"Ah!" was Shindou's reaction when Touya's third finger joined the party. The finger knew it could not stay for long, since Shindou's wetness confirmed that the place was doing great even in its absence.

Touya withdrew his fingers momentarily, only to replace them with his genital. When his rock-hard member entered his partner's moist flesh, he heard Shindou whimpering and noticed Shindou's back arched simultaneously.

Touya stayed still with part of him still buried inside Shindou. How tight Shindou's inner walls were squeezing his manhood! He felt Shindou's hands gripping his own arms very rigidly. He gazed at his partner's complexion and found pain there. This pain, however, was not undesirable; Shindou's eyes told him all.

After Shindou had his time to adjust to Touya's full glory inside him, he loosened his grips and moved his hips. Touya understood his lover's gesture and resumed their copulation.

Touya did not hurry his quest. Instead, he studied his lover's most desired spot through slow and careful probes. Then, after finding the sacred spot, he made sure Shindou become accustomed to his rhythm. Every sigh, twitch and whimper that Shindou made only urged Touya on. Touya pressed his thighs against his inamorato more arduously, thrusting deeper at each penetration. Tonight, he was a sword whereas Shindou a scabbard he wanted to be sheathed with. Tonight, only Shindou and Shindou alone mattered.

Shindou did not know whether he was in heaven or hell. He could see Touya's on his knees, supporting him and bucking his hips at the same time. The sheer humiliation … the throbbing pain … how can they be so delightful?

Touya kept stroking Shindou's erection since Shindou wrapped him with his legs.

'_If lovemaking, fucking, mating, sexual intercourse—whatever they're called—was supposed to be this addictive, I … I…' _"Akiraaa!"

When they reached their climax, Touya planted a kiss on Shindou's lips so as to swallow his last intake of pain. Naturally, his member was buried even deeper within his lover as he bent and Shindou's arms clung on him very tightly at this point.

Shindou thought Touya would have let out his release calmly like a deep river, like his personality. But instead, his sapphire-eyed boyfriend inundated him like a dam whose walls of reason, manner and restraint had crumbled. Shindou shivered with bliss as Touya's waves of passion swept him by. Yes, stirring emotion to Touya's usually calm, dignified composure was one of the privileges Shindou held—something most other people failed to accomplish—and he had been enjoying that subconsciously for years. Today, however, Shindou came to realize this and was more than happy with this intangible gift.

Catching breath minutes later as they lay side-by-side, sated and sapped of energy after their first sexual experience, Shindou remarked, "Dammit Akira, why do you have to be so good?!"

"I did some internet research before we came here," Touya answered, "and I used genuine feeling while doing it." Indifferent though his tone was, a tint of scarlet blazed on his cheeks.

Shindou stared at the ceiling, but intertwined his fingers with Touya's. "Akira, do you know that I'm so in love with you?"

Shindou got a soft "mm" reply before closing his eyelids.

The pair of lovers succumbed to drowsiness and slept with their hands linked.

* * *

**CHAPTER VII**

**Honinbou's Counterattack**

The next morning, when opening his eyes, Shindou felt Touya's warmth next to him. '_No wonder in love stories people get upset when their sleeping partners are gone in the morning_,' he thought, because at that very moment, he knew he had found someone he did not want to let go for the rest of his life. If plenary love just existed in fictions, what was this feeling that he felt right now?

The more Honinbou gazed at Meijin, the more he saw a living fairy-tale: Sleeping Beauty. His beloved Akira was still sleeping peacefully. His face was charming; his hair delicate; his bare skin exquisite. Although Touya Akira breathed regularly in his sleep, Shindou Hikaru did momentarily stop breathing!

Fighting the urge not to wake the resting enchanter, Shindou stared at the ceiling, pondering about a game of go. After a few moves, however, his concentration faded. That game was, after all, a game with his eternal rival who currently lay next to him.

Shindou's body was still aching as the aftermath of last night's activity, but who cared… the body next to him was too gorgeous to resist! He gotta touch his lover. He just had to!

Shindou Honinbou leaned to kiss Touya Meijin on the forehead. Cheerfully he said, "Morning, sweetheart!" when Touya opened his eyes, but would not let the Meijin gave his reply, as he stifled his lover's mouth with his own in a long lingering kiss.

Touya made no attempt to protest. After all, a good game required its players to play in turn.

"Hikaru…," he moaned softly, tracing his fingers on his beloved's cheeks and jawline.

Shindou cast a zealous glance at him before scurrying himself to Touya's end. There, he suspended Touya's left foot on mid air, making Touya recline at his sideline, and drew his face to kiss the edge of Touya's toe. Touya quivered, but his partner continued sucking his big toe. Touya gasped, and his lover licked his other toes one by one—gently but teasingly.

Touya felt his member hardening, but Shindou would not lose his focus from that damn foot! Only after several of Touya's heavy breathings did Shindou brush his lips against Touya's soft skin, trailing down to the ankle, calf, knee, thigh, and eventually…

"Aaah!" Touya did not bother to—or perhaps _could not_—suppress his sigh when Shindou's mouth arrived at his throbbing shaft.

With Touya's left leg on his shoulder, Shindou kept Touya's manhood within his oral range. He used his tongue for most the process, letting his saliva and Touya's pre-cum intermingle. Once or twice, though, he mildly raked his teeth to tease Touya's thick column of flesh. Being a first-timer too, Touya couldn't hold back his ejaculation for long. Soon it became Shindou's turn to taste the semen. Well it tasted weird … but he couldn't promise himself not to swallow Touya's seeds again in the future. He _wouldn't_,anyway.

With one hand still hoisting Touya's leg, Shindou used his other hand to mold his boyfriend's balls. He played with them for a while until he saw Touya's prurient expression. Once again he felt special: he was the only one who could unclad Touya's tranquility; he drove Touya crazy.

Shindou moved to moisten his boyfriend's hole now. It had already been slick though, much to his pleasure. He smooched and licked it deep anyway, making Touya groan with desire. He was about to slip his finger when Touya's glance caught him, as if confirming: "no fingering needed."

Touya himself was surprised on how impatient he could be at that moment. The hours Shindou made him wait in the go salon was nothing compared to the seconds that Shindou made him wait today.

Hence, Shindou straightened his torso. Positioning Touya's left ankle on the crook of his neck, he made his entry into his beloved's body. He saw Touya winced and clenched. Shindou gulped; it was not his intention to hurt his precious. "Shall I stop?" His voice was heavy with guilt.

"No!" burst his boyfriend, "I won't forgive you for quitting halfway!"

Shindou pecked Touya's ankle again before proceeding with his penetration. It was an apologetic rather than a romantic kiss, yet it did not fail to please Touya, nonetheless. Touya took a very sharp intake of breath while receiving Shindou's full lunge. He shut his eyes, feeling Shindou's undulating desire rocking him in the inside.

When he opened his eyes again, Touya realized his hips had started moving on their own. Shindou moved back and forth softly; anxiety still lingered on his face. However, neither sideway entrance nor anxiety hindered Shindou from satisfying his inamorato. As soon as Touya grew accustomed to his pace, Shindou moved more comfortably. His thrusts were neither too quick nor too slow, neither too firm nor too tender; neither too deep nor too shallow; they were incessant, zealous and gratifying, sometimes varied with drilling motion.

"Haa…!" Touya could only moan from pleasure as Shindou's emerald orbs kept gazing at him so ardently from behind.

Touya's already palpitating heartbeats thumped even faster when Shindou shifted to align his head right behind his own. He felt Shindou's fervent breath on his nape, Shindou's hand patting the full length of his member down there and Shindou's torso pressed against his back. A peculiar sensation haunted Touya's stomach and he knew it had nothing to do with hunger.

'_Is this what he felt last night? Is this the so-called 'ecstasy of lovemaking'? Hikaru, I can't get enough of you… years ago, now and years yet to come!'_

Shindou felt his own drops of sweat ran down his back. He knew it wouldn't be long until he released his need, so he inquired, "Do you want it inside or outside?"

Touya gave him the answer he had already guessed. It was his pleasure to comply and when he did, his boyfriend curled his toes and screamed his name aloud.

The two young men panted. Gazing at the crumpled sheet that was stained with his own emission, Touya felt the warm liquid dripping down his thighs. Shindou had filled him to the fullest that it overflowed. Without retracting his member from Touya's body, Shindou embraced his lover. His elbow was on Touya's waist and his hand on Touya's stomach. Touya did not find being occupied to be uncomfortable. Instead he placed his own hand on Shindou's to encourage his stay.

"Sorry," Shindou spoke.

"For what?" Touya asked him back.

"I was supposed to bring you here for sightseeing, but we end up not able to walk till … uh, I'd say, lunchtime."

"Then you may as well make our rest worthwhile." Touya smiled and kissed his boyfriend.

OWARI

* * *

WARNING: **I try to make death feel as less tragic as possible through afterlife depiction, but if it pains your heart to accept characters' death, do **not** proceed any further. Just stick to Shindou and Touya lived happily ever after.**

* * *

**OMAKE: CHAPTER VIII**

**The Heavenly Reunion**

Quarter a century later…

The weather was mild. The sun poured down a tide of torrid brilliance amidst the cumuli of cloud and the breeze blew the swaying grass with its gentle caress. In a garden, underneath the wisteria tree by the _koi_ pond, two men were sitting across a go board. One was in immaculate white Heian court attire with black _eboshi_ hat, the other in cadet green post-Meiji kimono. Nineteen long years they had been playing games after games against each other in this realm, yet they had not grown bored; they never would, for they shared the common goal of gaining _Kami no Itte_—the Divine Move.

Two other men approached from afar, conversing with each other.

"Hey Akira, this is actually nice. I am holding your hand without worrying about public embarrassment."

"Is that all you care about death, Hikaru?! You're forty-four years old, for goodness' sake!" chided his speaking adversary without any gesture to undo their hand lock, if not tightening it instead.

"You're forty-four too, jeez! We were playing go just after we ate out for our silver anniversary celebration when that earthquake killed us in the small hours of the night, remember?!"

The dark-haired man's eyebrows furrowed. The memory of how they had perished was fresh in his mind. The previous night, he had been facing his eternal rival at the opposite side of the goban when the roar of the angry earth snatched over a thousand Tokyoite lives. Amidst the debris of their collapsed apartment and broken furniture, the two go players' motionless bodies lay, fingers connected to seal their last moment together.

"That's not the point. I'm telling you there's more in death than holding hands without worry of public embarrassment."

But Shindou beamed and smiled, "In that case, I want to thank you. You've been waiting for me since the age of twelve. You waited when I wasn't strong enough to be your opponent. You waited me to come at your dad's go salon. And recently you even waited for me to walk together in this chthonic realm, so that we're together, even in death and afterlife."

'_Naturally! After all, _you_ are the best thing that's ever happened to me.' _But since action spoke louder than words … Touya kissed Shindou without hesitation. Shindou did not mind in the slightest bit; he responded to his beloved's kiss as eagerly as he had always done so in his life.

The kiss lasted long enough for a runner to finish a mile, yet neither kisser panted for air. They were no longer alive; no respiration was needed! And what's more, they had an eternity to share!

"Akira…," Shindou murmured half-dreamily. How Touya loved to hear his beloved call his name—casually in the go salon, intimately on bed, or even angrily when they had their usual little fight. Whatever the situation might be, no one else on earth could call him the way Shindou did. Whenever Shindou enunciated "A-ki-ra", Touya never failed to notice the inherence of affection in Shindou's voice.

"Akira!" Shindou called him again, but with a rebuking tone this time, as if he would not give Touya more time to indulge himself at the sound of his name. His eyes widened.

Touya quirked an eyebrow. "Yes, Hikaru?"

"Look behind you!"

Touya turned his back and saw what Shindou meant to show him. The sight of two veteran go players yonder made him smile. They hastened their steps to approach the figures they had longed to see for decades.

"Long time no see, father," Touya beckoned the short-haired man in green kimono, and then turned to his father's opponent with a smile, "And nice to meet you, Fujiwara no Sai-san."

**THE END**

* * *

Note: At their first bedding session, neither Touya nor Shindou knew that lube was substitutable with more common fluid, such as body lotion.


End file.
